And airports think that FOD detection is difficult! (Source: FOD News)
Category: Military
Debris field of dreams
[This article was updated on 30/05/2012, see below]
Reporternews has more details on the story from last month that the Dyess Air Force Base has been FOD free for more than 1000 days.
Zero damage from foreign objects is practically impossible. Jet engines sucking in massive amounts of air will inevitably ingest something they shouldn’t.
Recognizing this, Air Combat Command decreed a “chargeable” FOD as an event that results in more than $50,000 in damage. It also set an acceptable FOD rate of 1.0, based on the number of chargeable incidents divided by flying hours.
The staff at Dyess should be applauded for their efforts, and although the article does mention the use of the FOD Boss, ,there is no mention at all of automated FOD detection. This is yet more evidence that, for some reason, the automated detection systems are not yet considered to be part of the standard arsenal in the fight against FOD. And with one of the biggest players in this industry, QinetiQ, no longer actively marketing their Tarsier system, it is starting to look like automated FOD detection might not have the future many in the industry had hoped.
Update:
It has been pointed out to me (i.e. I have been corrected) that the previous article covering the same story does indeed mention an automated FOD detection system i.e the FOD Finder from Trex. From the previous article:
“Keeping the flight line clear of FOD is a total team effort,” Smith said. “Things we do to minimize FOD are monthly base-wide FOD walks, handing out awards, such as “FOD Fighter of the Month,” using the FOD BOSS, Sweeper, FOD check points and the FOD Finder Radar Truck.”
Source (Reporternews & Dyess Air Force Base Homepage)
Xsight targets military customers for FOD systems sales
Xsight, the Israeli manufacturer of foreign objects detection (FOD) systems, sees air force customers as a big potential market in the coming years.
The company’s FODetect system is already operational at Boston’s Logan airport in the USA, Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi international airport in Thailand, Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, France, and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport in Israel.
Xsight chief executive Alon Nitzan says indications show that 30% of sales in the coming years will be made to air force customers. “The FOD problem is very acute in a base that operates fighter aircraft, many with one engine,” he says. “The detection of objects on the runway is part of the base’s operational readiness.”
Read the whole story at flightglobal
Dyess approaches 1,000 days FOD free
The U.S. Air Force are always happy to report their FOD stats, and this is no exception:
(U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Peter Thompson/ Released)
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas — The 7th Bomb Wing is in a constant battle to eliminate foreign object debris from the flight line, and is winning, with more than 975 consecutive days of FOD-free incidents.
50 pounds of FOD
Every time I read about a FOD walk I’m always amazed at how much stuff they find (usually the Air Force are happy to write about what they find).
To show the importance of conducting a FOD walk, Hood, Sigala and Llerena coordinated a base-wide FOD walk. Each of the classes — more than 100 airmen from the 571st MSAS and Honduran Air Force — participated and collected more than 50 pounds of FOD from the flightline.
Source (Defence Professionals)
It only takes one grocery bag to damage a jet
It appears as though plastic grocery bags are not only a threat to the environment, but also to military jets. There’s an interesting article at the US Air Force in Europe site on the damage to aircraft that can be caused by plastic bags, the threat is so great that the Air Force have been issuing free reusable bags to Airmen and their families.
by Staff Sgt. Daryl Knee, 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
The 52nd Fighter Wing’s foreign object damage manager, in collaboration with base civilian agencies, provided free reusable grocery bags to Airmen and their families at the Spangdahlem Commissary Nov. 15 in an effort to enhance recognition of the dangers loose debris has on the base’s flying mission.
“It only takes one grocery bag to damage a jet,” said Master Sgt. Matthew LaNew, FOD manager. “The agencies on base have donated thousands of reusable grocery bags to get people in the mindset that loose bags truly are a FOD hazard.” (more…)
Swift action by personnel at Holloman Air Force Base
Three Team Holloman members came across a blown tire, and dealt with the incident quickly, potentially saving valuable Air Force assets.
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Thanks to the quick actions of three Team Holloman members, a foreign object debris issue was handled before any Holloman asset was compromised…….
“We were at the right place at the right time,” said Mr. Vaughus. “Someone’s life could’ve been at stake and possibly our own if it didn’t get cleaned up. It could’ve gotten ugly, so we did what we were supposed to do.”
Reservists save millions of dollars with a few steps
PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. — Reservists from the 920th Rescue Wing Maintenance Group are charged with not only maintaining life-saving aircraft here, but also saving millions of dollars in equipment damage with a few simple steps.
See the full article here.
Dr FOD explains the dangers of Foreign Object Damage
These old RAF videos are not very politically correct, but they are informative.
